Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the more fascinating games in the series, and all the information coming out about Pokémon Scarlet & Violet just makes another installment seem more enticing. Legends: Arceus had plenty of good ideas that had plenty of room to expand. Seeing early evidence of Scarlet & Violet folding some elements from Legends into a traditional Pokémon title, it can easily make one want to see more from the spinoff.
Unlike most previous Pokémon games, Legends: Arceus does not task the player with earning gym badges or winning the Pokémon League. In fact, it takes place before either of those concepts had ever been introduced, at least in Hisui. In the absence of this recurring element, Legends: Arceus is driven by a completely original story that explores the distant past of the Pokémon universe. Even though Legends: Arceus accidentally created plot holes, it still led to one of the most interesting adventures that a Pokémon game has seen in years, and possibly the most successful shake-up of the series' norms since the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games.
Legends: Arceus Gives Pokémon Fans A Break From The Norm
Pokémon games have been evolving steadily over the years, with each one generally improving on the last. Even so, almost all the games in the main series have been following the same basic formula. Scarlet & Violet's three storylines look to change things up, but it doesn't look to go as far as Legends: Arceus did. The way that Legends: Arceus broke away from these norms makes it one of the most intriguing titles to come out of the series.
The structure of Pokémon is tried and true, but when players are playing through the same sort of format repeatedly, fatigue can start to set in. Even Pokémon Yellow had differences from Red and Blue, but they were still largely the same. If a game feels the same as the one before it, then fans will feel less enthused about subsequent titles. To be fair, Pokémon has done an admirable job of trying to add new things to each game, from new Pokémon to completely new mechanics. Even so, beating eight gyms before facing off with the Elite Four and champion has become an expected part of every game, to the point that one couldn't be blamed for wanting something different.
While Legends: Arceus' wardens could be seen as a vague equivalent of gym leaders, they are different enough to provide a unique experience. In addition, the different structure of the game helps it to stand amount among its peers, especially where its more innovative elements are concerned including the underrated Hisuian Pokémon designs. There are a lot of things that make Legends: Arceus memorable, and it would be a shame if those traits were not revisited again.
Going Back To The Past Gave Legends: Arceus A Blank Canvas
One of the biggest changes that sets Legends: Arceus apart from the main series is its choice of settings. Every other Pokémon game from the main series, including Scarlet & Violet, has taken place more or less in the modern day. This leads to players traveling from city to city with all the conveniences of modern technology. The land of Hisui takes place long before most of these cities were even established, much less built into what they would become, and that opened the door for a completely different angle.
With the region of Hisui, Legends: Arceus had an opportunity to take a completely new approach to the series. The game took place long before living with Pokémon had become commonplace and accepted with some Legends: Arceus areas referencing future BDSP locations for continuity's sake. Not only are there no gyms or Pokémon League, but there aren't even Pokémon Centers, with the player healing their party by either resting at home or at camp. The main character, despite being from the future, is essentially a part of the first wave of people in what would become Sinnoh learning to live peacefully with Pokémon. This comes through in several missions, where the player is gradually introducing more people in the village to Pokémon.
Not only did Legends: Arceus offer something completely new, but it also provided a framework for further Legends games to explore other historical regions or time periods. For example, there could be a game exploring the origins of Alola, or a Legends game taking place in Unova's wild west. With so many more potential stories to tell, there's plenty of reason to hope for the spinoff to continue.
Legends: Arceus' Sense Of Adventure Makes It A Perfect Base For A Sequel
In Legends: Arceus, the story and gameplay are not based on trying to be the best Pokémon trainer or the region's champion. Rather, they are centered around exploring, catching Pokémon, and making discoveries in the Hisui region. This approach to the game is incredibly flexible, and these tasks could be molded for all kinds of settings. Legends could easily be used as a base for another adventure.
Since Legends: Arceus already showed how people in Hisui began to bond with Pokémon, a sequel could give players another reason to go on a grand adventure. For example, Legends: Arceus didn't show the Pokémon League's beginnings, but a future game could chronicle the rise of the competitive aspect of Pokémon training. Not only that, but with Legends: Arceus putting so much emphasis on Arceus as the name implies, future games could focus on other legendary Pokémon. For example, Ho-Oh and Rayquaza are two phenomenally powerful Pokémon that could also benefit from another look at the history of themselves and their regions.
Legends: Arceus tried out a few new mechanics and approaches for the series, and most of them turned out well. With a little more polish, a sequel could recreate that success and more. The Pokémon universe has a lot of history that has not been explored, but holds a lot of potential for future stories. More Legends games could find a way to put this potential to use, even if Legends: Arceus doesn't get a direct sequel.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are likely to be successful, and trailers have given fans a lot of things to look forward to. However, Legends: Arceus shouldn't be ignored for being such a high-quality title, and another installment would have as much chance as Scarlet & Violet of being an instant classic. Pokémon Legends: Arceus deserves a sequel, and hopefully Nintendo will end up providing one.